When Apple unveiled its newest technology of AirPods Professional in September, it confirmed off new options starting from Reside Translation to improved Noise Cancellation, however by far essentially the most thrilling — and unique — function within the AirPods Professional 3 are the brand new coronary heart price sensors.
It’s the one function that’s really new and distinctive to the AirPods Professional 3. The opposite marquee function, Reside Translation, was a software program replace that additionally got here to Apple’s 2024 AirPods, whereas every little thing else is principally the iterative enhancements we’d count on from an replace.
There’s a cause the AirPods Professional 3 have been named one in every of TIME’s Greatest Innovations of 2025. It’s honest to say that the center price monitoring function is an absolute sport changer for health fanatics — particularly those that aren’t followers of the Apple Watch. Whether or not that’s since you’re not a watch particular person in any respect otherwise you’d slightly put on one thing else in your wrist, the AirPods Professional now fill that health hole by letting you shut your rings with wi-fi earbuds that you just’ll probably already be utilizing throughout your exercises.
To be clear, the iPhone Health and Well being apps have by no means required you to make use of Apple’s personal {hardware} to log exercise data. Apple permits any third-party developer can write information to the well being app, together with coronary heart price and exercise information that shall be present within the Health app alongside exercises recorded from the Apple Watch. Nonetheless, third-party well being trackers sometimes have to make use of their very own apps to behave as a software program bridge: the app collects information from its personal gadget over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or a wired connection, after which writes that data into the Apple Well being database.
That’s fantastic if you happen to’re already invested in one other health ecosystem like Strava, nevertheless it’s a bit clunky if you wish to primarily use Apple’s first-party apps. That’s the place the AirPods Professional 3 are available. Apple’s newest earbuds interface with the Well being and Health apps simply as easily as an Apple Watch, and whereas they don’t present as a lot information, they provide you every little thing it’s essential to observe your train routines.
How the AirPods Professional 3 Monitor Your Exercises
That very first thing to remember is that the AirPods Professional 3 can solely report your coronary heart price throughout exercises, so that they don’t present the holistic well being expertise of the Apple Watch.
The earbuds’ well being options are designed to trace energetic train, not every day exercise. They gained’t observe your resting coronary heart price whenever you’re sitting at your desk, nor even if you happen to’re operating or strolling with out an energetic exercise operating within the Health app. Alongside the identical strains, they don’t feed information into the blue Stand ring, nor do they add energy to the pink Transfer ring whenever you’re not figuring out (though the iPhone in your pocket nonetheless can, so long as it’s operating iOS 26).
Nonetheless, they’re greater than ample in case your goal is to hit new train targets this 12 months. Apple has up to date the iPhone Health app in iOS 26 to allow you to begin and handle exercises straight, whether or not you’ve gotten an Apple Watch or not, and there are even benefits to utilizing the AirPods Professional 3 and an Apple Watch on the identical time.
The AirPods Professional 3 use extra secure photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that pulse infrared mild into the ear canal to measure your pulse 256 occasions each second. These have a tendency to supply extra correct readings throughout high-intensity motion like HIIT, because the ear canal doesn’t transfer round as a lot as your wrist does, and the H2 chip inside is designed to filter out the form of “movement artifacts” that may typically have an effect on watch measurements.
The excellent news is that so long as you’ve gotten an iPhone with iOS 26 put in, there’s nothing else required so as to add the AirPods Professional 3 to your train routine past ensuring that coronary heart price monitoring has been enabled. You’re usually requested to show this on whenever you pair them along with your iPhone for the primary time, however if you happen to’re undecided, you possibly can examine this within the iPhone Settings app:
- Join your AirPods Professional 3 to your iPhone by opening the case or placing them in your ears.
- Open the Settings app in your iPhone.
- Select your AirPods Professional 3 close to the highest of the display.
- Scroll to the underside and guarantee Coronary heart Fee is toggled on.
As soon as that’s completed, put your AirPods in your ears, open the Health app, and choose Exercises from the menu on the backside. It’s best to see your AirPods paired within the prime proper nook. When you select and begin a exercise, your coronary heart price information will seem within the app as you’re employed out, and you may even shut the app and keep watch over it utilizing the Reside Exercise that seems in your iPhone’s Dynamic Island or Lock Display.
Because you’re already carrying your AirPods, it’s also possible to simply ask Siri to start out a exercise and your AirPods will start monitoring your pulse and recording your exercise information instantly with out ever touching your iPhone. Apple’s new Exercise Buddy can even kick in to present you real-time suggestions within the voice of an precise Apple Health+ coach so you possibly can preserve your iPhone in your pocket.
In case you’re already carrying an Apple Watch, the method is much more seamless. Begin a exercise the identical manner you usually would — out of your Apple Watch — and your AirPods Professional 3 can even be used to contribute coronary heart price information.
To keep away from complicated issues on this case, Apple doesn’t merely attempt to common the info; as a substitute, it’s developed a “Sensor Fusion” machine studying method that takes the info from each the wrist and the ear and determines which one has the very best confidence degree at any given millisecond. That information will get recorded to the Well being app, whereas the lower-confidence information is discarded.
Professional Tip — The “Midnight Sync” Rule: In case you’re an irregular Apple Watch person who desires to maintain your streaks alive, do not forget that if you happen to exercise with simply your AirPods and iPhone, you continue to want to verify your Apple Watch syncs along with your iPhone by midnight to make sure your Exercise Rings mirror the mixed information appropriately.
You additionally don’t have to put on each AirPods on the identical time, nor do you even have to be listening to audio out of your iPhone. For instance, Apple notes that you would be able to join your AirPods to an Apple TV 4K to observe your favourite present whereas figuring out, and the center price information will nonetheless be recorded in your iPhone. There’s additionally greater than sufficient battery life for a typical exercises; whereas the promised 8 hours of ANC listening drops to six.5 hours when the center price sensor is energetic, that’s greater than sufficient for something lower than an all-day hike.
As we talked about earlier, the AirPods Professional 3 aren’t a whole alternative for an Apple Watch, as not solely do they solely present coronary heart price monitoring throughout exercises, however there are some exercise varieties that also require an Apple Watch. A few of these are apparent, equivalent to water-based swimming, browsing, and scuba diving exercises. The AirPods Professional 3 are extra water resistant than ever, however they’re not waterproof. Nonetheless, different exclusions are ones you won’t consider, like kickboxing, rowing, golf, and tennis. That’s as a result of these depend on monitoring limb actions, which the AirPods Professional 3 naturally can’t do.
The AirPods Professional 3 can also’t monitor your well being in the identical manner. Apple offers listening to well being options for the AirPods Professional in some international locations, however issues like excessive and low coronary heart price detection, blood oxygen monitoring, and hypertension notifications nonetheless depend upon the extra correct and always-on sensors from Apple’s wrist wearable.